July, 10, 2020

Though the best know aspect of scoliosis is the coronal deformity (it is the inclination as seen from the front), the shape of the spine seen from the side is extremely important for the patient's health. Scoliosis patients have typically a reduction in both thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis. Thoracic kyphosis is important for two reasons: it creates space in the chest for the lungs and the heart (you don't need more explanations to know how important it is) and relaxes the neck into its natural alignment (lordosis). In fact, many scoliosis patients have the neck in kyphosis, which overloads the cervical discs and can cause development of neck pain in the adult life. Lumbar lordosis allows for a relaxed standing position. In fact, patients with loss of the lumbar lordosis are more likely to suffer from back pain and lumbar disc degeneration. In this example you can see how both the thoracic kyphosis and the lumbar lordosis have been increased after anterior scoliosis correction